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A new take on being downsized?

By coincidence, I found this LinkedIn article (Laid Off? Congratulations!!) yesterday, shortly after hearing about another journalist colleague being laid off.

To the best of my knowledge, no one has congratulated her, and no one congratulated me when I lost my job last year.

It’s a tough thing to lose a job. That’s why the title of the article is so… attention-getting. The writer advises assessing what went wrong, reconnecting (i.e. networking), and having fun as you “write your future.” Not bad advice, even the fun part, which may take an extra dose of creativity, an emotional stretch, and time.

Some of the content, and especially the word “Congratulations,” proved offensive to a significant number of commenters, one of whom almost lost his home as a result of losing his job.

And yet… I believe, much as I hate to use a cliché, that when one door closes, another opens. There’s some truth in clichés.

I just read the article this morning, and while I didn’t relate to everything in it, I like the idea of moving forward.

Many of the comments that followed the article were instructive, like reminders to be prepared financially for the loss of a job, and that it’s possible to end up doing something that makes you happier.

So to my colleague who was downsized, and others, no congratulations. Just good wishes that the experience will ultimately lead to positive changes.